International Music Score Library Project
Encyclopedia
The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci
, is a project for the creation of a virtual library of public domain
music scores
, based on the wiki
principle. Since its launch on February 16, 2006, over 143,000 scores and 5,600 recordings for over 46,000 works by over 6,700 composers have been uploaded. The project uses MediaWiki
software to provide contributors with a familiar interface. Since 6 June 2010, IMSLP has also included public domain and licensed recordings in its scope, to allow for study by ear.
of old musical editions out of copyright
. In addition, it admits scores by contemporary composers who wish to share their music with the world by releasing it under a Creative Commons
license. One of the main projects of IMSLP was the sorting and uploading of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach
in the Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe
(1851–99), a task that was completed on November 3, 2008. Besides J.S. Bach's complete public domain works, all of Beethoven's, Brahms's, Canteloube's, Chabrier's, Chausson's, Chopin's, Corelli's, Debussy's, D'Indy's, Dukas's, Fauré's, Ferroud's, Handel's, Huré's, Magnard's, Palestrina's, Ravel's, Roussel's, Satie's, Schmitt's, Schubert's, Schumann's, Scriabin's, Sibelius's, a large percentage of Mozart's, Liszt's, and others are available as well.
Besides providing a digital repository, IMSLP offers possibilities as a musicological
encyclopaedia, since multiple and historical editions of a single composition can be uploaded, and musicological analyses and historical commentaries accompany the scores. Also, pages on publishers provide valuable information, and the work pages themselves often contain a large quantity of information, e.g. roles in an opera.
IMSLP is recommended as a research tool by MIT
, which also uses it extensively for providing scores for its OpenCourseWare
courses. It is suggested as a resource by the Sibley Music Library
and by libraries at other universities such as Stanford University
, University of California, Los Angeles
, Brown University
, University of Pennsylvania
, University of Wisconsin–Madison
, Oberlin Conservatory of Music
, Manhattan School of Music
University of Maryland
, University of Washington
, University of Cincinnati
, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Appalachian State University
in the US, McGill University
in Canada, University of Oxford
, University of Cambridge
, University of Edinburgh
University of Bristol
in the UK, University of Melbourne
in Australia, and others.
.
of Vienna, Austria. The cease and desist
letter expressed concern that some works that are in public domain in the server's location in Canada with copyright
protection of 50 years post-mortem, but which are protected by the 70 years post mortem term in some other countries, were available in those countries. The administrator of the website, known under the nickname Feldmahler, decided to close down the repository, but left the forums online so that discussions into the best way to proceed could be made:
In response, director Michael S. Hart
of Project Gutenberg
offered support to keep the project online. This offer was declined by Feldmahler, who voiced concern about having the project hosted in the United States, and consulted the Canadian wing of Project Gutenberg. On November 2, 2007, Michael Geist
, a prominent Canadian copyright academic, wrote an article for the BBC
discussing the specifics and the wider implications of this case.
IMSLP went back online on June 30, 2008. Since its reopening, IMSLP has been using a strict copyright policy, where uploaded files are only made accessible for download after the copyright status for three most frequent copyright regimes has been reviewed by staff members. Although the server is located in Canada, files which are not public domain in the US were until July 2010 flagged [TB], for 'Technical Block' or 'Temporary Block', and could not be viewed. The FAQ posted in their forum stated, "Unfortunately, these 'temporary' blocks will be until further notice – possibly all the way until the expiration of term in the USA."
However, if a work is public domain in Canada and the EU but not in the US, it can be downloaded legally via the new EU server, so a work is now only blocked with [TB] if it is under copyright in both the US and the EU.
On 21 April 2011, the Music Publishers Association (UK)
issued a DMCA
takedown notice against the IMSLP. Go Daddy
, the domain name registrar
for the IMSLP, removed the domain name
"imslp.org", leaving it inaccessible. The MPA's argument was similar to that made in 2007 by Universal Edition. In particular, the MPA claimed that Rachmaninoff's 1913 choral symphony The Bells violated US and EU copyright. According to the IMSLP, the action is without any merit. Almost 24 hours later, the MPA (UK) announced on Twitter
that they had asked Go Daddy to reinstate the domain name.
would merge with IMSLP. WIMA had announced the merge on its own site five days before in an open letter to contributors. After working out some technical issues, IMSLP decided to officially commence the merge on August 28. Once the merge is completed, virtually the entire collection of WIMA will form part of IMSLP.
that it is owned by Project Petrucci LLC. Physical contact information is provided, listing only an address in the United States.
Ottaviano Petrucci
Ottaviano Petrucci was an Italian printer. His Harmonice Musices Odhecaton, a collection of chansons printed in 1501, is commonly misidentified as the first book of sheet music printed from movable type. Actually that distinction belongs to the Roman printer Ulrich Han's Missale Romanum of 1476...
, is a project for the creation of a virtual library of public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
music scores
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
, based on the wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
principle. Since its launch on February 16, 2006, over 143,000 scores and 5,600 recordings for over 46,000 works by over 6,700 composers have been uploaded. The project uses MediaWiki
MediaWiki
MediaWiki is a popular free web-based wiki software application. Developed by the Wikimedia Foundation, it is used to run all of its projects, including Wikipedia, Wiktionary and Wikinews. Numerous other wikis around the world also use it to power their websites...
software to provide contributors with a familiar interface. Since 6 June 2010, IMSLP has also included public domain and licensed recordings in its scope, to allow for study by ear.
Overview
The site was launched on February 16, 2006. The library consists mainly of scansImage scanner
In computing, an image scanner—often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. Common examples found in offices are variations of the desktop scanner where the document is placed on a glass...
of old musical editions out of copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
. In addition, it admits scores by contemporary composers who wish to share their music with the world by releasing it under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
license. One of the main projects of IMSLP was the sorting and uploading of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
in the Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe
Bach Gesellschaft
The Bach-Gesellschaft was a society formed in 1850 for the express purpose of publishing the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach without editorial additions. Their collected works are known as the Bach-Gesellschaft-Ausgabe....
(1851–99), a task that was completed on November 3, 2008. Besides J.S. Bach's complete public domain works, all of Beethoven's, Brahms's, Canteloube's, Chabrier's, Chausson's, Chopin's, Corelli's, Debussy's, D'Indy's, Dukas's, Fauré's, Ferroud's, Handel's, Huré's, Magnard's, Palestrina's, Ravel's, Roussel's, Satie's, Schmitt's, Schubert's, Schumann's, Scriabin's, Sibelius's, a large percentage of Mozart's, Liszt's, and others are available as well.
Besides providing a digital repository, IMSLP offers possibilities as a musicological
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
encyclopaedia, since multiple and historical editions of a single composition can be uploaded, and musicological analyses and historical commentaries accompany the scores. Also, pages on publishers provide valuable information, and the work pages themselves often contain a large quantity of information, e.g. roles in an opera.
IMSLP is recommended as a research tool by MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, which also uses it extensively for providing scores for its OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to put all of the educational materials from its undergraduate- and graduate-level courses online, partly free and openly available to anyone, anywhere. MIT OpenCourseWare is a large-scale, web-based publication of...
courses. It is suggested as a resource by the Sibley Music Library
Sibley Music Library
Sibley Music Library is the library of the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY. It was founded in 1904 by Hiram Watson Sibley in honor of his father Hiram Sibley and is currently the largest university music library in the US.-History:...
and by libraries at other universities such as Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, was founded in 1865 and is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. Students of Oberlin Conservatory enter a very broad network within the music world, as the school's alumni...
, Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
in the US, McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Canada, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
in the UK, University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
in Australia, and others.
Awards
In 2009, IMSLP won the MERLOT Classics award for Music. It was named one of the Top 100 Web Sites of 2009 (in the "Undiscovered" subsection) by PC MagazinePC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
.
Closure and reopening
On October 19, 2007 the IMSLP closed following legal demands from Universal EditionUniversal Edition
Universal Edition is a classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, and originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market...
of Vienna, Austria. The cease and desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
letter expressed concern that some works that are in public domain in the server's location in Canada with copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
protection of 50 years post-mortem, but which are protected by the 70 years post mortem term in some other countries, were available in those countries. The administrator of the website, known under the nickname Feldmahler, decided to close down the repository, but left the forums online so that discussions into the best way to proceed could be made:
In response, director Michael S. Hart
Michael S. Hart
Michael Stern Hart was an American author, best known as the inventor of the electronic book and the founder of Project Gutenberg, a project to make ebooks freely available via the Internet...
of Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
offered support to keep the project online. This offer was declined by Feldmahler, who voiced concern about having the project hosted in the United States, and consulted the Canadian wing of Project Gutenberg. On November 2, 2007, Michael Geist
Michael Geist
Michael Allen Geist is a Canadian academic, and the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa. Geist was educated at the University of Western Ontario where he received his Bachelors of Laws before going on to get his Masters of Laws at both Osgoode Hall Law...
, a prominent Canadian copyright academic, wrote an article for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
discussing the specifics and the wider implications of this case.
IMSLP went back online on June 30, 2008. Since its reopening, IMSLP has been using a strict copyright policy, where uploaded files are only made accessible for download after the copyright status for three most frequent copyright regimes has been reviewed by staff members. Although the server is located in Canada, files which are not public domain in the US were until July 2010 flagged [TB], for 'Technical Block' or 'Temporary Block', and could not be viewed. The FAQ posted in their forum stated, "Unfortunately, these 'temporary' blocks will be until further notice – possibly all the way until the expiration of term in the USA."
However, if a work is public domain in Canada and the EU but not in the US, it can be downloaded legally via the new EU server, so a work is now only blocked with [TB] if it is under copyright in both the US and the EU.
On 21 April 2011, the Music Publishers Association (UK)
Music Publishers Association (UK)
The Music Publishers Association is a non-profit organization representing music publishers in the United Kingdom since 1881. It "exists to safeguard and promote the interests of music publishers and the writers signed to them; represent these interests to government, the music industry, the media...
issued a DMCA
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization . It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to...
takedown notice against the IMSLP. Go Daddy
Go Daddy
Go Daddy is an Internet domain registrar and Web hosting company that also sells e-business related software and services. In 2010, it reached more than 45 million domain names under management. Go Daddy is currently the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the world, and is four times the size of...
, the domain name registrar
Domain name registrar
A domain name registrar is an organization or commercial entity, accredited by both ICANN and generic top-level domain registry to sell gTLDs and/or by a country code top-level domain registry to sell ccTLDs; to manage the reservation of Internet domain names in accordance with the guidelines of...
for the IMSLP, removed the domain name
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
"imslp.org", leaving it inaccessible. The MPA's argument was similar to that made in 2007 by Universal Edition. In particular, the MPA claimed that Rachmaninoff's 1913 choral symphony The Bells violated US and EU copyright. According to the IMSLP, the action is without any merit. Almost 24 hours later, the MPA (UK) announced on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that they had asked Go Daddy to reinstate the domain name.
EU server
On July 10, 2010, a forum thread announced the opening of a new server, located in the Netherlands. This server allows works which are public domain in Canada and the EU to be downloaded legally, even if they are under copyright in the US. The server is run by an unaffiliated European organization. Files on the EU server are flagged (EU).US server
A similar, also unaffiliated US server allows users to download works public domain only in the US. Unlike the other servers, this one can only be contributed to by administrators and users who have asked for the privilege, though the files are freely accessible for download.WIMA merge
On August 23, 2011, an announcement was made that the Werner Icking Music ArchiveWerner Icking Music Archive
The Werner Icking Music Archive , is a web archive of liberally-licensed sheet music of public domain music. The scores are electronically typeset by volunteers and distributed in PDF, often accompanied by their typesetting files. WIMA continues the defunct GMD Music Archive and is named after...
would merge with IMSLP. WIMA had announced the merge on its own site five days before in an open letter to contributors. After working out some technical issues, IMSLP decided to officially commence the merge on August 28. Once the merge is completed, virtually the entire collection of WIMA will form part of IMSLP.
Current operation
IMSLP states on its sitethat it is owned by Project Petrucci LLC. Physical contact information is provided, listing only an address in the United States.
Similar projects
- Choral Public Domain LibraryChoral Public Domain LibraryThe Choral Public Domain Library is a sheet music archive which focuses on choral and vocal music in the public domain or otherwise freely available for printing and performing .-Description:...
: focused on choral and vocal music. - MusopenMusopenMusopen is an online music library of copyright-free music. Musopen's mission is to record or obtain recordings that have no copyrights so that its visitors may listen, re-use, or in any way enjoy music; put simply, "to set music free."...
: focused on recordings. - Mutopia ProjectMutopia projectThe Mutopia Project is a volunteer-run effort to create a library of free content sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenberg's library of public domain books.The music is reproduced from old scores that are out of copyright...
: focused on typesetTypesettingTypesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
scores. - Werner Icking Music ArchiveWerner Icking Music ArchiveThe Werner Icking Music Archive , is a web archive of liberally-licensed sheet music of public domain music. The scores are electronically typeset by volunteers and distributed in PDF, often accompanied by their typesetting files. WIMA continues the defunct GMD Music Archive and is named after...
: contains mainly early musicEarly musicEarly music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
. (It will soon be merged with IMSLP.)
External links
- Website
- IMSLP Wiki Homepage
- EU Server Portal
- International Music Score Library Project Raises Copyright Concerns, New York Times, February 22, 2011
- Music copyright in the spotlight. BBC News 2 November 2007